The Expendables 4 is currently being filmed in England and Sylvester Stallone has the behind-the-scenes photos taken from set to prove it. Stallone took to social media to share some iconic images of him revving up the engine of a motorcycle and puffing smoke from a fat cigar. Stallone has fallen back into his infamous character, Barney Ross, like riding a bike after the nearly eight-year-long gap since the release of The Expendables 3. Stallone also shared some pictures of himself in full costume with his co-stars Jason Statham (Lee Christmas) and Dolph Lundgren (Gunner Jensen).

It’s quite hard to picture the fourth installment of The Expendables without the presence of Stallone. Yet, he has gone back and forth throughout the long waiting time in between as to whether or not he wanted to be a part of the project. In a more literal sense, Lionsgate's The Expendables franchise would be virtually impossible without Stallone. Along with playing his role, he wrote and directed the very first 2010 film that would later become the massive franchise it is today.

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The first Expendables film was centered around “a group of elite mercenaries who are tasked with the mission of overthrowing a Latin American dictator whom they soon discover to be a mere puppet controlled by a ruthless ex-CIA agent.” The entire Expendables franchise was made with the intention to be a nod and ode to the cult classic action films that Stallone made in the '80s and '90s. With this in mind, The Expendables films are a ritual, honoring the genre of the action film itself and introducing many A-list action stars to Hollywood. Therefore, the idea to add fresh faces and new energy to the legendary cast of these old-school actors, such as Stallone, to the following sequels began.

This ushering in of unknown faces to the already beloved cast didn’t seem to take too well with audiences when it came to the release of 2014’s The Expendables 3. It quickly became the least profitable film of the franchise to date, and this is most likely the culprit as to Stallone's past resistance to making The Expendables 4. Many fans assume that Stallone will have his usual main character impact and the spotlight that he has had thus far in the series. Yet, speculations have been going around that Stallone might be taking a more creative back seat for The Expendables 4, which equates to much less screen time for him.

The plot of Expendables 4 is supposedly going to be centered more specifically on Statham's character, Lee Christmas. Expect to see more brand new faces that have been added to the cast such as Megan Fox, 50 Cent, and Andy Garcia.

The Expendables 4 is scheduled to be released in 2022.

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Source: Sylvester Stallone/Instagram